Labour HQ suspends Cllr Sohail Munawar

Labour act to prevent government intervention

Top politician and Leader of Slough Council, Sohail Munawar, is finally
suspended after several complaints extending over 16 months.

Three days after a highly audacious attempt by Cllr Munawar to force through
his choice for chief executive, Roger Parkin, Labour Party HQ stepped-in and
suspended Cllr Munawar's party membership.

This means Cllr Munawar is not an active Labour Party member. He is, for the
time being, no longer Leader of the Labour Group comprising 33 councillors.
Technically he remains Leader of the Council but without Labour Party support.

There is likely to be an emergency meeting of the Labour Group to determine
whether the current deputy leader, Cllr Sabia Hussain, temporarily takes over
during Cllr Munawar's suspension.

Background

Distributing "disgusting" and "obscene video" from his council funded and
supplied mobile telephone, Cllr Munawar has been abusing his trusted position
as Slough's chief councillor. Having appointed key officers, Cllr Munawar
mistakenly thought he could do what he liked and no one could stop him.

Among other complaints, Cllr Munawar has been deliberately delaying advertising
for a replacement chief executive. The previous incumbent resigned in November
2016. On 7 February 2017, the council was ready to advertise the vacancy but Cllr
Munawar stopped it. Critics say Cllr Munawar wanted to give his biggest supporter,
temporary chief executive Roger Parkin, more time to prepare for the job
interviews and tests.

Despite the external employment consultants, and a Local Government Association representative, telling Cllr Munawar not to advertise the vacancy in August, six
months after the council was originally ready to advertise, Cllr Munawar ignored
their advice and went ahead.

From 15 candidates, some highly impressive, the Appointments Sub-committee,
under Cllr Munawar's leadership and direction, judged Roger Parkin as the very
best. This inexplicable decision shocked many people. Those who knew Mr Parkin's
background called the decision corrupt.

Sub-committee chairman Cllr Munawar selected 4 sub-committee members –
his friend Cllr Mohammed Sharif, a councillor with health issues, an
inexperienced new councillor. The Leader of the Conservative Group was required
to be given a place.

Despite the availability of experienced councillors, especially those with
considerable practical experience, Cllr Munawar sought to confine
sub-committee membership to those he thought he could control or influence.

On Monday 16 October, after a Cabinet Meeting, and in the presence of his Cabinet members, supporter Cllr Shafiq A Chaudhry and the Labour Group's
council assistant, Cllr Munawar shouted at, and bullied, his deputy Cllr Sabia
Hussain.

Cllr Munawar insisted Cllr Hussain withdraw her objections to the coronation
of Roger Parkin or she must resign. Council sources were so disturbed by what
happened, they alerted the Slough Times expressing their alarm and
disgust.

Forgetful Cllr Munawar told everyone in June 2016 of his personal commitment
to honesty, transparency, decency, public accountability and ethics. Yet all
these wonderful appealing aspirations evaporated without trace, shortly after
Cllr Munawar became the Leader of the Council.

Appointments Sub-committee meeting

On Monday this week, 30 October 2017, the Slough Times witnessed
incredible scenes at the council's Appointments Sub-committee meeting held on
the second floor of the expensive and disliked Curve building in William Street.

Cllr Sabia Hussain

Cllr Sabia Hussain, the deputy Leader of the Council, sat at a desk facing the
5 councillors sub-committee, articulated clearly and credibly, the long and
impressive list of concerns
about Mr Parkin's suitability as the next Chief Executive.

Any reasonable member of the public, hearing those concerns, would have no
doubt there was something dramatically and seriously wrong with Cllr Munawar's
sub-committee's recommendation that Mr Parkin was the best candidate. It was
an incomprehensible decision because it was not based on facts.

Mr Parkin's loyal supporters ?

Sitting behind Cllr Hussain were the council's top officials. They abandoned
their council desks at 16:00 hours to attended the sub-committee meeting. All
are said to owe their council jobs to Mr Parkin. Sources identified:-

Cate Duffy, Director of Children's Services, salary £120,000 p.a.

Alan Sinclair, Director Adult Social Care, salary £110,000 p.a.

Joe Carter, Director of Regeneration, salary £ not revealed

Mike England, Contract Director of Housing, costing £130,000 p.a.

Neil Wilcox, Director of Finance, salary £ not revealed

Simon Pallet, Head of IT, salary £ not revealed

John Griffiths, Housing official, salary £ not revealed

Cllr Munawar gags Cllr Swindlehurst

After Cllr Hussain finished speaking, former deputy council Leader Cllr James
Swindlehurst wanted to make a statement. The revelations had shocked him.

Temporary Monitoring Officer and governance solicitor, Linda Walker, 59,
incomprehensibly advised that the appointment of Roger Parkin did not affect
Cllr Swindlehurst's ward any more than other wards, so he could not speak at
the meeting. Cllr Munawar smiled.

Despite the staggeringly huge amounts of public money paid for solicitor Linda
Walker's expert governance services to Slough Council, Mrs Walker's unfamiliarity
with the council's Constitution, despite legally being responsible for it,
meant she failed to comprehend she had unlawfully prevented Cllr Swindlehurst
from speaking on a serious matter of major public concern.

Part 4.1 – Council Procedure Rules

30. Attendance of Non Members at
Cabinet/Committees/Sub-Committees

30.3 A Member shall have the right to attend and speak at the
Cabinet, Committee or Sub-Committee on a matter which directly and specifically
affects his/her Ward.

In the Slough Times' opinion Linda Walker made another glaring mistake.
Instead of upholding the council's rules published in the Constitution,
Mrs Walker seemed to have abandoned professional impartiality to support Cllr
Munawar's desperate attempts to silence all his critics.

Cllr Munawar's determination to reject all concerns and complaints about Mr
Parkin's conduct and lack of ability was reminiscent of a Mafia boss bulldozing
his wishes through the proper procedures, reasonableness and plain common sense.
It was a shocking and disgraceful attempt to abuse local government for what
seemed to be Cllr Munawar's personal obsession – his worship of, and
dependence upon, Roger Parkin.

The Ultimatum

Sources told the Slough Times that Local Government Association
officials had warned the national Labour Party to stop ignoring the sleaze
and corruption at Slough Council or central government intervention was likely
to take-over the running of the council.

National Labour immediately responded by suspending the party membership of Cllr
Munawar.

Consequently Mr Parkin, always protected by Cllr Munawar, now finds himself in
a critically vulnerable position. Council watchers wonder if Mr Parkin will
resign before anticipated investigations commence.

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